Across The Universe
by Skyler DeToris
Summary: Adam Savage said, "I reject your reality and substitute it for my own." Well, so did the Doctor. Although, that's not his real name. His real name is John Smith, and he uses his imagination to cope with the truth. The truth about his past, and his future
1. Chapter 1: The Hiring

_"Can you hear them? They're coming_

_They're in the signal, they're in my head.  
_

_Can you hear them? They're coming  
They're in the signal, they're in my head.  
__Can you hear them? They're coming  
__They're in the signal, they're in my head__…"_

* * *

"I'm so glad you were able to come in, Rory," Amy spoke out with a small smile. The golden haired boy in black framed glasses followed closely behind his ginger haired girlfriend. He walked beside her, trying to keep up with her quick pace as they walked past various patients. One boy was running up and down the pale blue colored halls in a mask made out of a paper plate. He went around repeatedly asking all the nurses if they were his mother. Rory managed to sneak a glance into another room they had rushed past. A man, looking at about 80 or so was meowing at a wall.

"I-It's not a problem, really, I don't mind working with some of the…um…more extreme, I guess," He stammered slightly, "I don't mind a challenge."

"Well this one is a bit of a handful, but he shouldn't be too much of a problem," She replied, slowing to a stop as they reached a door that was already halfway open. Rory peeked inside and looked over at a man with brown hair dressed like he had gone through hell and back. He was wearing a blue dress shirt that had holes and rips everywhere, his pinstripe dress pants were dirtied and ripped at the knees along with his red and white trainers. His lanky arms were spread out across the wall, matching the large crack that was stretched across the drywall in front of him. He had something small, long, and shiny in his right hand. It was a flashlight of some kind, and he kept flashing it at the crack.

"Who is he?" Rory asked, peering at the man's strange behavior and instantly becoming interested.

"Smith, John Smith," Amy replied as she crossed her arms, "Psychosis patient, suffers from Grandiose delusions, I think it's some Schizotypal Personality Disorder. He snuck out last night and security brought him back this morning looking all raggedy like this. He likes to be called 'The Doctor.'"

"Doctor?"

"Yeah, he really likes doctors," She replied with a light laugh, "He's a funny man, his wife brings him police box figurines every now and then when she comes to visit. He calls them his TARDIS."

"TARDIS," He quoted.

"Mmmhm," She chirped out, raising her left eyebrow slightly, "You're in for a treat with this one. He's got all sorts of stories cooked up in that funny little head of his. You'll hear all about it; the Time Lords, Gallifrey, space and time travel, oh and don't forget to ask about the Daleks."

"What the hell is a Dalek?" He asked out, turning around to suddenly find his girlfriend walking down the hall. Rory swallowed deeply in his throat and turned back around, only to be face to face with his new patient, making him jump back a little in shock. The raggedy man eyed him curiously, his eyes darting around every which way across the boy's frame.

"Hello handsome man!" He chirped out with a sudden smile, "Are you him?"

Rory smoothed out his scrub top and cleared his throat.

"H-Hello-I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you him? My companion, my bright and shining companion," He spoke out, rushing over to the wall before stopping midway and turning around to point, "You're Rory Williams."

Rory felt his breast pocket and noticed that his name tag was missing. He must've left it on the dashboard of his car again.

"Ye-Yeah, how did you-"

"Nevermind that, _where_ is Amy?" He asked curiously. He rushed up to the boy and held him by the shoulders, looking over him like she was hiding somewhere behind him. Rory tensed up a little and turned his head, looking behind his back briefly before looking back at the Doctor.

"A-Amy? She's-"

"Off somewhere else, always doing that," He replied, tearing away from the boy, "Well then! Rory, my dearest Rory, how do you feel about ti-Can I have an apple?"

"Wh-Wha?" Rory asked, furrowing a little.

"I asked for an apple," The brunette repeated with a smile, "All I can think about is apples."

Rory looked at him strangely for a minute before looking down at his watch.

"Well er…lunch isn't for another hour or s-

"Earlier you were asking what a Dalek was," The man interrupted, "They're genetically engineered Kaled mutants integrated within a tank-like or robot-like mechanical shell. They are a powerful race bent on universal conquest and domination, utterly without pity, compassion, or remorse and frankly are _dreadfully_ annoying…"

The Doctor stopped and noticed his companion's confused expression. Seeing it couldn't help but make the man smirk. Rory had so much to learn, and the man couldn't wait to show it all to him.

"I'm sorry, you were saying something, what was it?"

Rory stared at the man in awe, his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes widened. He blinked a few times before shaking his head and stammering a little on his sentence.

"Eh-er nothing, I just…um…wanted to say Hello, and-"

"Hello," He interrupted with a smile.

"H-Hi," Rory replied with an airy laugh, "So I erh, will be your nurse for awhile until Donna comes ba-"

"Companion," The Doctor corrected, "You'll be my companion."

"Y-Yeah, companion," Rory stammered, furrowing a little in the process. Still, the Doctor merely grinned and shook the young nurse's hand firmly.

"I look forward to it, Rory," He spoke heartily, "I look forward to all the amazing adventures we're gonna have together,"

"Y…yeah…sure," Rory spoke, coughing a little and looking down at his watch, "Well I've got to go now, but I'll come back in an hour and take you down for meds and lunch."

"Brilliant,"

"Yeah…well uh…Bye." His young companion spoke, waving awkwardly and quickly turning around to leave. As Rory sped walked away from the door, the Doctor walked closer to the doorway and smiled. He watched as the young boy went over to Amy by the Nurses station and started to talk to her. He watched as Amy's lips formed into a smile and laughed a little, her hands immediately covering her mouth in slight shyness. Rory laughed as well and his eyes darted to the floor in nervousness. A smile appeared on the Doctor's lips as he leaned on the doorway and continued to watch the couple. He fiddled with the sonic screwdriver in his hands as sudden flashes of the three of them running danced in his head. He blinked a few times and looked back at the couple. Rory was hugging Amy tightly, gently rocking her from side to side in the process. They then let go of each other and made their way down the hall together, laughing about something he couldn't hear. He watched the backs of their heads with a smile.

"I look forward to the journey," He muttered to himself, "I look forward to it with both of you, soon enough."


	2. Chapter 2: The Sound of Drums

"So, what do you think?" Amy asked as she scooped up some fruit salad and put it on her lunch tray. Rory looked up from his own lunch tray and suddenly realized he was in the cafeteria. He'd been zoning out again, clearly. He rubbed his eyes a little and yawned. He reallywasn't getting enough sleep.

"Wha?" he asked out as he slid his tray along, grabbing a cup of yogurt in the process. Amy let out a stifled giggle and shook her head.

"I was talking about the Doctor, silly," She replied, "What do you think of him? He's funny, isn't he."

"Uh, yeah, funny," He answered, yawning once more behind her back. Amy shook her head with a smile and grabbed a foam cup from beside her. She handed it over to her boyfriend and gestured her head towards the coffee machine.

"Go get some, sleepyhead," She chuckled, "You've gotta be awake to keep an eye on him, he likes to wander about."

Rory took the cup with a small smile and headed over to the coffee machine. Right as he arrived, he saw the Doctor standing in front of it. He had an empty plastic cup in one hand, and his odd flashlight in the other. His arm was extended in the machine's direction, his funny looking flashlight flickering on and off at it. Rory's eyebrows furrowed together and he watched as the man reached forward and filled his cup with water. The young nurse chewed on the inside of his lip a little and stepped forward with slight caution.

"Uh, Doctor…What are you doing?"

The dark haired man set the glass of water down onto the floor and snapped straight up. He slowly turned his head towards the young nurse, his green eyes slightly widened and shifting from left to right. His lips pursed together like he was deep in thought about something.

"…I'm looking for an escaped fish," He answered lowly. Rory tried his hardest not to give him an odd look, but he failed horribly and furrowed a little. He opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but he was quickly cut off by Amy's voice from behind him.

"Doctor," She called out like a mother would with her child that was about to cause mischief. The Doctor's facial expression instantly changed, going from dark and mysterious to bright and cheery like it usually was.

"Oh, hello Pond!" He chirped, his mouth forming a bright grin. Amy folded her arms at him and cocked one eyebrow upwards.

"Aren't you supposed to be sitting down somewhere, Doctor?" She asked out, "Why don't you sit by Wilfred? I'm sure he'd like to hear more about Lake Silencio."

"Ahhh that is a good story, isn't it Pond," He replied with a smile before turning to face Rory, "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it later. Enjoy your lunch!"

The Doctor patted Rory's shoulders happily before quickly darting off towards the Lunch tables where all the other patients were sitting at. Rory shook his head and turned to his girlfriend in confusion.

"And what may I ask is Lake Silencio?"

"An imaginary lake in America," She answered simply with a laugh in her voice, "C'mon, I'll introduce you to Dr. Jones and the rest of the crew."

"I'm telling you, it's never boring with John Smith around," One of the female doctors at the table spoke out. All the other doctors and nurses sitting at the table nodded in agreement, some of them laughing lightly in the process. Rory swirled his mashed potatoes around with his peas and listened as the female doctor who had spoken earlier continued on. Her name was Martha Jones, and she had the joy of being the Doctor's "companion," along with Dr. Jack Harkness. Jack Harkness was a who transferred from America. All the female nurses (and even some male ones) fancied and gushed over whenever his back was turned. He had blue eyes, a facial structure that was carved by angels, and a smile that was worth a trillion dollars. There was yet to be a woman who could resist him. None had prevailed. Amy wasn't immune to his charms either.

Martha continued on with John's "sci-fi fantasy" about their adventure together. "He's got a story for all of us." She replied with a smile, "He should be one of those comic book writers if he ever gets out of here."

"Well, I'm starting doubt that he ever will," Jack spoke in a sort of solemn tone, "If he keeps running off like that, he's gonna have to be transferred to the high security building in the south wing."

"Have you figured out what to give him to help with these delusions he's having?" Martha asked. Jack shook his head and took a small sip from his drink.

"Still waiting on results from Saxon," He answered, "Right now I think talking is the best medicine for him."

"I still think we should let him out on field trips more," Martha replied, "He wouldn't be escaping so much if he had a little more freedom to move."

"Well give John Smith the freedom to move, and you'll have him on the edge of a roof like last time," Jack opinionated.

"Last time?" Rory asked, looking over to Amy for an answer. Amy merely shook her head and waved her hand at him.

"Long story," She replied.

"He thought he was saving the universe," Martha explained.

"Yes, talking 'negotiations' with the Atraxi on the roof of the hospital." Jack added, "Guy almost got himself killed up there. He was right on the ledge, only one wrong move and he could've been a pancake."

Rory could see it now: The Doctor, standing on the roof, talking passionately to nothing but air, standing on the ledge, everyone watching below. Picturing that made his stomach ache a little. He had worked with some mad people before, but none so mad as this guy. He was starting to wonder if he was really up to the task of being his new companion.

"What are the…A-atraxi?" He asked out.

"An imaginary alien race," Amy answered, pulling out her phone and quickly texting someone.

"I feel so bad for his wife, you know? I really do. She's so nice," Martha sighed.

"Yeah, she's really brave for putting up with all this and sticking with him," Jack agreed.

Right as Rory opened up his mouth to ask one more question, the lunch bell beeped. It was like an automatic reaction that everyone got up in unison. He quickly wolfed down the rest of his mashed potato/pea mixture and then started cleaning around his area.

"Alright, alright, time to go feed the hounds," Dr. Jack announced with a toothy grin, "Good luck everyone."

Rory let out a quick 'thanks' as he picked up his tray and stood up. He looked over to Amy and saw her eyes wandering over Jack's backside. Her arms were folded and her eyebrow was arched upwards in amusement. Rory let out a cough.

"What?" Amy asked, sounding genuinely confused about what he was doing.

"You mind eyeing him up when I'm _not_ around?"

"Oh shut up, you know I love you," She replied with a smile. She placed a kiss on his cheek and pointed over to the Doctor, who in fact was still sitting at the farthest table over by the window.

"After lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays you bring him into the art room, okay?" She asked, "You're officially his companion as of right now. Good luck."

"Y-Yeah, thanks," He muttered, fidgeting with his hands a little. He turned around and took a deep breath. He had to remain focused, calm and focused. The Doctor was now back to the floor again, placing the glass of water down onto the tile. He stared at it contently and Rory cocked his head to the side. He still didn't understand what he was doing. How was one supposed to find an escaped fish just by putting a glass of water on the ground?

The young nurse shook his head. He had a job to do, focus Rory, focus!

"You ready to go Doctor?" He asked out, walking up to the man still in his raggedy clothes from this morning. The Doctor perked up and stood straight up from his seat.

"Go? Go where?" He asked curiously.

"To the uh…Art room?" Rory asked, pointing the cafeteria's exit door. The Doctor stared over at the doorway, his eyebrows furrowing together in the process. He looked genuinely confused for a moment before his eyebrows hiked upwards and he smiled.

"Ah! Yes of course, art, I do love art," The Doctor chirped, "Come along then, Rory."

The Doctor strode past the young nurse and started to make his way towards the exit. Rory followed closely beside him and started looking around at all the paintings on the walls. Works of art were hung up all around him, and stretched all the way down to the art room. Canvases with blotches of blues and yellows, water color paintings splattered with browns and grays, scribble drawings made with crayon. None of the artwork was making much sense, then again, the people in here didn't make much sense either.

"I do love art," He heard the Doctor sigh beside him.

"So do I, well, not as much as Amy," Rory spoke, smiling a little at the thought of her, "She loves V-"

"I especially love Van Gogh's work," He interrupted, "I saved him once, you know."

"Did you?" Rory spoke, only half of his attention actually going to the Doctor's story. He was still trying to interpret what some of the artwork on the wall mean.

"Yes, with Amy. She can tell you all about it." the Doctor chirped, "Thrilling story, bit tragic too. We never could prevent the poor man from taking his own life, but he left behind such wonderful artwork. He left something behind for Amy too."

They finally made it to the Art room. Rory stopped in front of the doorway and turned to face the smiling man with the ripped shirt and tie.

"Did he," He replied, the disbelief subtly showing itself.

"Yeah, that painting of the sunflowers," the Doctor explained, "If you look closely, it says 'For Amy.' now."

Rory stared at him for a minute. He was baffled at how this man functioned. He would just tell story after story, and from what Amy and the other doctors said, he'd remember every single detail. He believed all of it with all of his heart. He was living the ultimate lie inside his head, and he was perfectly okay with that.

His lips stretched into a small smile, and he put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Well I'd like to hear more about it after," The young man replied, "Right now you've got Art. I'll be back later to take you to Dr. Saxon's. Okay? Oh, and do you…"

His eyes traveled down to the Doctor's clothes.

"Let me find you a change of clothes…"

* * *

He sat down on the couch. That leather couch that sunk in a little, indicating a heavyset man had sat there only minutes prior to the Doctor's actual appointment. He scratched the side of his thumb a little with his index finger, watching as the blonde haired man before him with freshly tanned skin wrote on his notepad. He had clearly gotten back from a holiday that took place somewhere warm. The sun? No. Too hot. Mars? Maybe. Or maybe Tuscany. Tuscany was always nice this time of year.

"What are you thinking about, John?" His voice asked, completely ripping the Doctor out of his daze. The brunette haired man blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows together.

"Sorry, who?"

"You, John," His psychiatrist asked, "I'm asking about what you were thinking just now."

"Doctor," He answered, blinking a few more times, "Call me the Doctor."

The young brunette watched as the man across from him smirked and scribbled more on his notepad.

"You know what's going to happen if you keep calling yourself that," He spoke in a sort of warning tone as he flipped through his papers, "And if you keep calling me…The Master. I-"

"You are the Master," The Doctor interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows together once more.

"No John, I'm Dr. Saxon," His psychiatrist corrected, "Dr. Harold Saxon. I got my masters in psychiatry, and you're just a man. Keep saying that and soon the real doctors at the ward will have to come and take care of you. You know what they do there to guys like you, don't you John?"

"_John?…John?…John?"_

"JOHN!"

*BANG!* A loud gunshot rang off, along with an ear piercing crack. Bits of glass shattered everywhere. His face. He could see his face in a million pieces on the floor, right beside the woman who was screaming and crying against the wall. She was curled up in a ball, her dark hair all frizzy and wild from stress. A woman. A woman he knew, someone close to him. Fire. He could see fire. A body of flames licking higher. He could see a hand, burned and charred reaching out for him.

"John?"

The Doctor sucked in a breath and blinked, looking directly at the man in front of him. That's right, he was still in his office.

"Did you have another flashback?" He asked.

The young brunette nodded his head, his eyes traveling down towards his right wrist. A thick bandage was wrapped around it, concealing the result of an old dirty habit he used to have. He would constantly bang it on the railings. He'd do it repeatedly, just to feel something, just to hurt. He'd be completely calm afterwards, completely ok with himself with no delusions. When he didn't though, his heart would start to race, his body temperature would rise and the banging would echo inside his head. Over and over again he would hear this banging. One two three four...one two three four...

"John," He heard his psychiatrist speak, "Do you want to talk about what happened this week?"

The doctor blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows together.

"What?"

"Why did you escape?" He repeated.

"I didn't escape, I left," the Doctor corrected, "I got a message. Prisoner Zero had escaped."

"Prisoner zero," Mr. Saxon quoted.

"He escaped," The Doctor explained, "I was trying to break the psychic link that a Multiform had on coma patient here in the hospital."

Dr. Saxon's lips curled into a smirk as he scribbled a few more notes down.

"John, we discussed this before_,_" He spoke, "Multiforms aren't real, not in the way you're describing. Their bodies aren't duplicated, and they can't go out and about like you say they can."

"They can though, Multiforms can," The Doctor spoke out, "Ask Amy. She'll tell you it's true, it's all true. Ask Rory even! He's got pictures on his phone."

"Who's Rory," Dr. Saxon inquired.

"My new companion," The brunette answered, smiling instantly at the thought of the boy with the funny nose.

"Real or imaginary?" Dr. Saxon asked. The Doctor looked taken back by that question.

"Real." He replied with surprise.

"And does Rory remember any of these adventures?" The psychiatrist asked curiously, writing down some more notes.

"Of course he does."

The doctor looked to his psychiatrist intensely, furrowing a little at the smirk on his lips. What on earth was he so smug about?

_Shhhh, just be quiet and listen to your master..._

"John, this week I want you to draw me something," Dr. Saxon directed.

"Okay,"

"Once a week, I want you to draw what you see," He explained, "I want to see everything: The TARDIS, the Atraxi, even the Silence. Instead of just _telling _me, I want to see it on paper. You can do it in any way you like: with pencil, ink, paint, watercolor, whatever. Show me your memories."

"Even the bad ones?" The Doctor asked, still trying to contemplate why he would assign such a thing.

"Even the bad ones," Dr. Saxon replied, "Don't leave anything out."

The Doctor nodded lightly and flinched a little, taking a sharp breath through his nose as he closed his eyes.

_Taptaptaptap…taptaptaptap…taptaptaptap…._

The muscles in his hand tensed up. His wrist started to ache again. He could hear it again, he could hear the drums. Why could he hear the drums?

"John?"

The doctor snapped open his eyes, the noises instantly subsiding. Dr. Saxon just stared at him for a bit before looking back down at his paper and writing. The Doctor looked down at his wrist in discouragement. He really thought he had it under control this time. He let out a sigh, and then perked up when he heard a strange noise. It was a muddled growl, and it was coming from behind Dr. Saxon. The Doctor's green eyes tore away from his wrist and over to the corner of the room behind Saxon's head.

And that's where he saw it. The pale grey creature dressed in the black business suit, with a mouthless, bony face and bulbous head. Its eyes were sunken within it's sockets and the skin of its cheeks stretched to the point of its narrow chin. The creature had large, shriveled hands and pale, wrinkled skin. The Doctor locked eyes with it, staring it down and knowing full well not to look away. He remembered this creature now: The Silence. He remembered them clear as day. He saw them through the flames that day, standing there across the street, not moving an inch while flames continued to flicker and burn. He remembered them now, he remembered what they told him in their hallowed, gutteral voices.

_**You should kill them all on sight…**_

"John," Dr. Saxon's voice called, ripping him away from the creature's gaze. The Doctor's eyes met Saxon's, the concern clearly etched on his psychiatrists face.

"Did you see something, John?"

"See what?" The Doctor asked, smiling lightly afterwards. He honestly had no idea what he was talking about. He only zoned out for a bit. Dr. Saxon's lips twisted to the side a little and he scribbled some more words down on his notepad.

"You remember your assignment," The man asked, his eyes only meeting the doctor's for a second. The brunette grinned and nodded rapidly like an obedient child.

"Yes,"

"Alright then, I'll see you next week," The man reminded, "You can go to group now."

The Doctor shot straight up out of his seat and thanked Harold Saxon once again for seeing him. He then quickly rushed over to the door and swung it open, making Rory stumble a little into the room. The Doctor held him by the shoulders and smiled in utter delight.

"Ohhh, it's Rory!" He chirped, turning around sharply to show Dr. Saxon, "Master, look! It's Rory, my companion. I told you he was real! And isn't he just the handsomest thing."

"Yes, I see that," Dr. Saxon spoke, not bothering to look up from his paper, "See you next week, John."

The Doctor quickly took Rory's hand with a smile and practically pulled him out of the doorway. Together the two boys rushed down the hallway. The young nurse, still slightly confused on what had just happened, blindly followed the lanky man to the exit, stopping suddenly as they reached the door. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was quickly cut off by the Doctor's nose suddenly pressed up against his own. The Doctor looked into Rory's eyes intensely, ignoring the clear discomfort that the young nurse was expressing.

"Rory do you trust me?" He asked, his voice sounding as intense as his stare.

Rory to a small step backward and furrowed at the patient.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you trust me," He repeated, "Listen, whatever 'Saxon' tells you from now on is a lie. He's not who he says he is. His name is the Master, and he's not to be trusted under any circumstances do you understand?"

Rory nodded lightly, even though he had no idea what he was talking about. Still, he knew better than to disagree with a crazy person. The result of doing so was a risk only a fool would take. The Doctor smiled brightly at his companion and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well then, let's go get a snack, aye? Back to the room?" He asked with a half smile.

"Uhhh, yeah, back to…back to Ward C for group," Rory replied.

The Doctor smiled lightly and nodded as Rory got out his key. He unlocked the door and the two headed out of Ward H and into the courtyard.


End file.
